Winter 2014

Message from the Dean

Alumni in the news! In this issue of Findings, you’ll get a sample of the voices of our Pardee RAND Graduate School alumni in the public debate. Samantha Ravich on "Snowden-proof" intelligence, Jack Riley on "the metadata menace," Angela Hawken on the effects of "swift and certain" punishment for repeat offenders, Jeffrey Wasserman and Pardee RAND students and faculty coming up with "small ideas for big healthcare savings," and Arthur Brooks arguing for the need for conservatives to have an agenda for social justice. A timely reminder, as we prepare the next Pardee RAND graduates in anticipation of June's Commencement Weekend, of the expectation that our alumni will not only inform the debate, but lead real, positive change in our nation and the world.

As a final note, you can see even more on what we have been doing at the graduate school by reading the latest Dean's Report to the Board of Governors. The report features goings on by students, faculty, our Board of Governors — and alumni!

Save the Date!

Alumni gather at Commencement 2012

Commencement Weekend and Alumni Reunion Dinner — June 20-21, 2014

Pardee RAND's Commencement Weekend will begin with a reception, panel discussion and dinner at RAND on Friday, June 20. The reception and panel will feature a discussion with our honorary degree recipients; at dinner we will celebrate our alumni, present this year's Alumni Leadership Award, and honor Andrew W. Marshall and Charles Wolf, Jr. with special tributes.

Commencement will take place on Saturday, June 21, with Senator Elizabeth Dole as our speaker and honorary degree recipient. L.A. Police chief Charles Beck, Stanford Law professor (and RAND alumna) Joan Petersilia, and Nobel Prize winner (and RAND alumnus) Lloyd Shapley will also receive honorary degrees. Alumni will receive their invitation in early spring but please mark your calendars now. We had more than 50 alumni attend 2012's Reunion and Commencement Weekend and we'd love to have you take part in the festivities.

Around Campus

Student Olena Bogdan Speaks About Unrest in Ukraine

Pardee RAND student and Ukrainian citizen Olena Bogdan (cohort ’12) led a discussion on the recent events in Ukraine in an event titled "Unrest in Ukraine: Causes and a Path Forward" on January 27. Attended by students and faculty, Olena began with a short presentation providing more information on the situation and then opened it up to a dialog on ideas, comments and the possible role of the U.S. The discussion was moderated by Pardee RAND alum Ted Harshberger (cohort '86), vice president and director of RAND Project Air Force.

“Elan was the kind of person whose profound compassion and empathy for others added depth and meaning to even his most rigorous policy analyses. His quiet demeanor bespoke a man who truly was at peace with the world around him and who spent his life—both personal and professional—working to bring that peace to others. As a result, he brought a passion and unflappable optimism to his policy work that inspired others and always made their joint product better. The memory of who he was and what he brought to our profession is an inspiration to all of us whose lives he touched.”— Dr. Michael Shires (cohort '90), about Elan Melamid

“We met frequently at RAND and on social occasions, and whenever we did, whatever the occasion, there were always lots of laughs. His wit will remain legendary.”— Dr. Edward Franks (cohort ’76), about Joe Scifers

In Remembrance

Elan Melamid (cohort '92) passed away on December 17, 2013. He was passionate about child and family welfare and held management positions in child welfare agencies in both Los Angeles and New York, as division chief of adoption services for the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services, and as the associate commissioner of research and program development in the New York City Administration for Children’s Services.

L.V. “Joe” Scifers (cohort '72) passed away on November 27, 2013. Joe came to the Pardee RAND Graduate School from the United States Naval Academy and with a Ph.D. in technology innovation from the Harvard Business School. While at Pardee RAND, his research was focused on a variety of national security issues. After retiring from the Air Force in 1978 with the rank of Major, Joe embarked on what would be an extraordinary career as an entrepreneur, writer, financial manager, aerospace executive and senior U.S. national security official.

Elan and Joe were exemplary members of the RAND and Pardee RAND communities; both truly passionate about making a positive impact on the world and in their communities. Theirs is a profound and tragic loss.

Swanger Appointed to APPAM Policy Council

Rachel Swanger, associate dean of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, was recently chosen to serve as an institutional member representative on the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management's (APPAM's) Policy Council. As the association's board of directors, the Policy Council is elected by APPAM members. She will serve a four-year term starting in April 2014.

Swanger says she is eager to serve APPAM in this capacity. "The field of public policy is facing a rapidly changing environment, and graduate education needs to adapt to ensure we're preparing our graduates to succeed in that new environment. APPAM is the premier forum for that discussion, and I look forward to contributing to its continuing vibrancy."

Student Research: Prolific Student Publishing

Pardee RAND students — and alumni! — have been busy collaborating on RAND reports and journal articles. Below is a sampling of recent releases; a full list is available online.

Abigail Haddad (cohort '09), alum Lindsay Daugherty (cohort '05), and professor Nelson Lim developed a Framework for Change Through Accountability to prioritize the goals, actions, and initiatives in the Department of Defense Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan, 2012–2017.

Deborah Lai and Jodi Liu (cohorts '08 and '12), along with professor and alum Jeffrey Wasserman (cohort '85) and professor Jeanne Ringel, suggest more than a dozen ideas that could have a very large impact in their new report Small Ideas for Saving Big Health Care Dollars.

Featured Course: Healthcare and Healthcare Reform

"A Real-Time Examination of the Affordable Care Act"

In a new, 5-week elective offering, Healthcare and Healthcare Reform, seven faculty members co-taught a course designed to expose participants to the complexities of the U.S. healthcare system and the reforms that it is now undergoing. The seminar was the first time a Pardee RAND class was aimed at both students and the broader RAND community, and the first time a course was video-recorded and posted on the Intranet. Lectures were delivered from Santa Monica, Washington, Boston (and even Detroit — due to bad weather) and the course attracted a diverse group including students, faculty and researchers, with some sessions including more than 50 people participating in person or online.

The course gave participants an opportunity to examine issues in health care at the same time as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is being put into place at the national, state, and local levels. Topics included the history of healthcare reform and the ACA, insurance coverage, health information technology, cost-reduction and quality improvement strategies, consumer responses, and the roles community and community-based organizations play. The course was co-taught by faculty members Susan Ridgely, Christine Eibner, Peter Hussey (pictured above), Chapin White, Mark Friedberg, Laurie Martin, and Anita Chandra (pictured at left).

"Why is this important?" asks assistant dean Gery Ryan (pictured at right), who organized the course. "First, this is the largest change to the U.S. healthcare system ever in that it will eventually have a direct or indirect effect on all the different stakeholders involved in the financing and delivery of healthcare. Second, the evolution of the ACA is going to play out over the next 20 to 30 years and will likely define the careers of many newly-minted health policy analysts. Finally, this makes for a great case study for policy analysts in that it allows us to examine complex reforms from multiple angles and with a diverse array of tools."

Eric Gons (cohort '05) is now a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in Philadelphia, PA.

“The job is demanding but it's an interesting time to be the regulator in this state. We're transitioning the electricity utilities from decades of oil dependence to renewable energy. For Hawaii, wind and solar power are now cheaper than oil-fueled power plants, and the pace and scale of change here is extraordinary. Even so, we're still in the middle of a monumental effort to modernize an industry and regulatory regime that's been static for 40-50 years. Some would say closer to a century. The experiences at RAND and PRGS have been highly relevant and a huge asset.”— Jay Griffin (cohort '04)

Jay Griffin (cohort '04) is on a two year leave of absence from his faculty position at the University of Hawaii to work at the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. As chief of policy and research, he oversees a staff of eight researchers supporting the Commissioners' decisions with research and analysis.

Kim Hale (cohort '09) is now an operations research analyst in the United States Air Force.

Helen Wu (cohort '07) received an award to support her development as an early stage scholar testing innovations for improving public health delivery. She will be evaluating the impact of the nutrition education and obesity prevention program reorganization on California’s Public Health System. "I'll be using skills developed during my OJT work at RAND in the study design."

Alumnus Returns, Speaks with Students

Aaron Martin (cohort '05) returned on December 17, along with RAND alumnus Chris Bowie, to participate in a Pardee RAND Alumni Career Talk entitled, "A Defense Career Across Multiple Sectors/Northrop Grumman and its Role in the U.S. Defense Industry." Martin joined Northrop Grumman in 2010 and is now manager of strategic planning. Bowie is corporate director of the Northrop Grumman Analysis Center.

Alumni in the News

Arthur Brooks (cohort '96) wrote an article in Commentary, "Be Open-Handed Toward Your Brothers," about the need for a conservative social justice agenda; the piece was then discussed by columnists in both the New York Times and Washington Post; Brooks also wrote a New York Times column on The Downside of Inciting Envy.

Scott Pace (cohort '85) testified before the Senate Committee on Defense Appropriations on March 5 at the hearing on "National Security Space Launch Programs," discussing the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program and the government’s policy requirements to maintain assured access to space for the Department of Defense.

Our Newest Alumni

Hoover

Kups

Malchiodi

Waxman

Matthew Hoover (cohort '09); dissertation (forthcoming): It Takes a Village: Network Effects on Rural Education in Afghanistan. He is at One Acre Fund as manager, analytics and strategy in Nairobi, Kenya.

Sarah Kups (cohort '08); dissertation: Topics in Migration Research. She is now a junior economist for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Daniel Waxman (cohort '10); dissertation (forthcoming): The Impact of Tort Reform, Medicare Plan Choice, and Geography on Health Care Processes, Outcomes and Expenditures. He is now a fellow with the Veterans Administration.

Congratulations and welcome to the Pardee RAND Alumni Association!

Thank You for Your Alumni Leadership Award Nominations!

Once again we will be honoring an alum with the Alumni Leadership Award during our 2014 Commencement Weekend. Thank you for submitting your nominations. This award is designed to recognize prominent alumni who show passion, leadership and discipline in their careers, and who have made exemplary and important contributions to public service. Stay tuned for the name of the recipient to join our inaugural awardee, Mark Albrecht (cohort '73).

Upcoming Events

March 25: A Conversation with Karen Elliot House

Pardee RAND Alumni and the RAND Alumni Association invite you for an evening of engagement and connection in Santa Monica. Karen Elliott House is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former publisher of the Wall Street Journal, and chair of the RAND Corporation Board of Trustees. She is the author of the 2012 book On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines—and Future. She will discuss her career as a journalist, author, professor, and her experiences working in Saudi Arabia and what she sees ahead for the region. RSVP by March 18th to Evelyn Fees.

April 4: 8th Annual Los Angeles Policy Symposium

Join students, researchers, and practitioners in a day of policy exploration for the 8th annual L.A. Policy Symposium on April 4th at RAND. The Symposium integrates L.A. area policy school students and faculty with leading practitioners to investigate the pressing policy issues of the day. This year we are pleased to announce that Shivani Siroya, CEO & Founder of Inventure, will keynote the event.

Calestous Juma and IDSS team members

April 15 and 25: International Development Speaker Series Presentations

If you're in the L.A. area, join us for an upcoming IDSS talk. On April 15, William Easterly will present "The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor," and on April 25 Carol Graham will discuss "Beyond GNP? What the New 'Science' of Happiness can Contribute to Economics and to Policy." Learn more about these and past presentations on the IDSS section of our website, and join the IDSS mailing list to learn more about future events.

April 28: New York City Lunch with the Dean

Dean Marquis will be in New York City on April 28 and would like to invite you to join her for lunch if you will be in town. If you would like to attend, please contact Evelyn Fees.